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Reporting Bugs
With the release of ME3Explorer v2.0, the toolset is entering a new phase of development. Stable and Beta releases should be more bug free and frequent, but still won't be on any type of schedule. Due to the few devs around, there's also no guarantee of fixes for any bugs reported. Kfreon's Tools Starting with ME3Explorer v2.0, Kfreon's tools (ModMaker/Texplorer/TPF Tools/Image Engine), have special rules on reporting due to the planned re-write. These tools as released in v2.0 are in archival state; most outstanding bugs should not be reported. Exceptions include: *Textures not loading in Image Engine *Colors being autofixed incorrectly in TPF Tools *Improper colors displayed upon extraction via TPF Tools or Texplorer If you encounter any of these bugs in the v2.0 stable, or in any subsequent Beta, please report them on Kfreon's GitHub fork of ME3Explorer. This is his own fork of the toolset where the re-write will take place. The re-write is not on any schedule; please don't ask for a release date. Developer Tools Developer Tools are used to create mods rather than install mods. For this reason, it's easier to spot bugs, and reports can be of a much simpler nature. Before reporting, always consult the relevant Developer Tool article to be certain you aren't misunderstanding the functionality of the tool. If there's a Tutorial or Developer Resource article related to what you're doing, also consult them. Finally, a forum search and help request is likely also a good idea. If none of those solve the problem, go ahead and submit an issue on GitHub following the directions in the Submitting a Basic Bug Report section below. Mod Install/Usage The majority of bug reports we receive are of this nature, and many come from inexperienced users. Please help us curb bogus reports by carefully troubleshooting the problem, first. Before reporting bugs, users should thoroughly read the Troubleshooting articles and take all appropriate steps. Bug reports should only be provided for the current stable or beta. Reporting bugs in older revisions is pointless, since the bug may already be fixed. If you experience a bug with the current stable, you may choose to update ME3Explorer to the current beta to see if the bug still exists. If it does — and if all Troubleshooting articles have you convinced it's indeed a bug — then proceed with the instructions below. To be clear, a bug should not be reported unless: *You are 100% certain it's a problem in the latest Stable or Beta release. *You experience the problem on top of a vanilla game. *The problem is not mod-specific. *You are willing to provide us with all necessary background information related to the bug. *You've installed the toolset according to the ME3Explorer Setup Guide. *You've referenced all Troubleshooting articles. Often users report problems with specific mods not installing correctly on top of a non-vanilla game as "bugs." This leaves too many unknown variables: toolset version, state of the install, integrity of the mod, mod format, mod interactions, and more. Most of the time these reports aren't actually toolset bugs at all. They are simply errors on the user's end during the install process.Troubleshooting and help from the mod author should remedy most of these problems. If not, move onto the section below to learn how to make a useful report. Bug reports should be submitted as an "issue" on Github; forum submissions are no longer accepted. Before creating a new issue, first check to see if it's already been reported for that version of the toolset. If it has, there's no reason to submit a new issue. Just read the current issue and reply with any additional pertinent information. When submitting a new report on GitHub, always provide the information in the issue title: *ME3Explorer version (2.0.1) *Tool used when experiencing the bug *A clear, concise description of the issue in fewer than 10 words In the issue description, include: *Windows version (e.g., Win7x64) *Whether your ME3 exe is cracked or legal; this can result in weird issues *What version of NET framework you are on (check Programs and Features) *Describe as accurately and clearly as possible the exact steps you take to trigger the bug. Have you tested other mods with the same install format? Does the bug still occur? *Verify to us that you've experienced the issue on a properly vanilla'd game How to Vanilla if you don't know what this means). *Post all Debug Output for the tool as a file attachment. *Provide screenshots of any pertinent error pop ups, debug window, etc. These can be dropped directly into the GitHub issue description window. *Attach or provide the URL for the mod files causing the problem. Remember, if we can't replicate the bug, we can't fix it. The more information you can provide us, the better. If you are more technologically-inclined, submitting an Advanced Bug Report as outlined in the section below will dramatically increase the chance of us being able to fix the bug. Finally, thanks to all toolset users who take the time to report bugs. We know it can take a lot of time to troubleshoot first and it's easier to not report a bug, so we very much appreciate it when you do! Debugging and Advanced Crash Reports While we don't expect the standard toolset user to debug problems and submit advanced crash reports, for those of you who are able to do this, it is incredibly helpful. Instructions below will be purposely sparse, since we expect only users will some familiarity with programming will do this: Process Monitor is a very helpful tool for debugging issues. The program is highly customizable and allows you to see in real-time, what files are being loaded by the game, and if they are loading successfully. If your game is crashing, "ProcMon" can help you figure out why. Click this link to download the proper set of filters for using Process Monitor with ME3. To use inside ProcMon, unzip the filter, then go to Filter > Load Filter. Navigate to the filter's location on your HDD and select it. From there, you should be good to go. If you need further info on using ProcMon, check out this brief video tutorial. Advanced Crash Reports for toolset issues are best made with Microsoft Visual Studio. If you don't have access to the paid version, the free 2015 Community version can be downloaded at this link. Sourcecode.jpg|Location of source code inside the SVN VS tutorial mainwindow basic.jpg|VS main window just after opening VS tutorial broken.jpg|VS main window when tool breaks To debug an issue with the toolset you'll also the source code from GitHub. Locate and open the with Visual Studio. The amount of information displayed in the main window can be overwhelming for novices. Use the screenshots embedded at the right to help orient yourself. If you're having a crash (i.e., an exception) start the debug by clicking Start to launch ME3Explorer. Then, repeat whatever action you took previously to make the program break. If you have coding experience and can look at the output to determine what further action to take, please do. Otherwise, screencap the output in the main window and post it in on GitHub with the rest of the information you submit in your issue. Category:User Resources Category:Developer Resources Category:Help